Snow and Blood
by RonethDragon Tiamat
Summary: A twisted Tayledras Adept turns to blood magic, and in his madness seeks to avenge himself on a lover who spurned him...


Yes, I know it's been a while since I updated. This is mostly due to a combination of starting college and attempting to write two novels at the same time.

So anyway, I had intended to write a sequel to "But I Can't Be A Herald!" but I've managed to forget what I intended to do with it. So until I can find my brain—I'm sure it's around here somewhere—here is a prequel.

oOoOo

The spring weather would have been enough of an excuse for a celebration. A long, bitter winter had raged outside the k'Rayna Vale, keeping even the scouts inside for most of the time. But now the sun shone brightly over the valley, the melting snow trickling down the new grass to flow freely in the streams. Everything felt fresh and clean. The air itself lent a new life to the Vale. It was the perfect weather for a wedding.

Of course, everyone in the Vale had outdone themselves in preparation for the ceremony. After all, they had known it was coming throughout the winter, and it had been something exciting to prepare for in the dull chill of the blizzards. Brilliant colors bedecked all the trees, colors that paled in comparison to the rainbow array of the Tayledras themselves. Bondbirds wove back and forth across the sky, some with dyed feathers, some with ribbons dangling from their legs, many with both. A finer array of festivity had not been seen for many a year.

The couple smiled at each other as they descended amidst cheers. Leafwind, a renowned Healer, took the hand of his beloved Silversky and touched it to his lips. "So," he whispered, "here we are."

She grinned back. "As if we had any choice in the matter. Once the _hertasi_ heard of our decision to make our bond a permanent one, nothing would come of it but to turn out the entire Vale in celebration."

He kissed her lightly. "You're worth every moment of it."

Giggling, she pushed him a bit. "Don't tell me you're not enjoying the attention."

"But none of the attention is for _me_, is it, my silver rose, my sky above?" He said this with a broad smile, and they both laughed.

A ways away from where the newlyweds flirted playfully and half the Vale tried to fight to congratulate them, a tall man sat perched in a tree, eyes closed, silver hair tumbling down somehow untangled by the branches. His mage robes, though adorned appropriately for the occasion, were an empty white, colorless besides the silver embroidery. His boots, too, were white, and unadorned. Snowmoon, as he was aptly named, watched through the eyes of his bondbird, Sseryk, who circled lazily above the ceremony.

_:Watch her for me:_ he asked silently, and the eagle obediently circled lower to focus his eyes on the bride. Through Sseryk's keen eyes, Snowmoon could see the laughter in Silversky's clear blue eyes, the smile on her face as she looked at her husband, the way her hair flew in an arch as she tossed her head back, the glint of the chrysoberyl set in her silver necklace…

He slammed shut the link between his eyes and his hawk's and rested his head in his hands. "Why?" he whispered quietly.

That day in the hot springs. The nights in her _ekele_. The evenings in the treetops, under the stars. Her body…her lips…her laughter…taken away from him forever now. He could look, but never touch, never hold her again. Even if she would let him, which he doubted, her Leafwind would not like it, and she would not want to have to face his disapproval. Clenching his jaw, he idly started undoing one of his braids.

_:You hurt:_ said his bondbird with concern.

_:I'm fine:_ he replied roughly.

_:You hurt:_ Sseryk insisted, circling away from the gathering to coast down onto a branch beside him. _:Why you hurt? She hurt you:_

Sighing, Snowmoon reached out to stroke his bondbird's head. "She did not mean to hurt me," he told the eagle, whose feathers were bleached as white as the Adept's hair. "I do not even think she knows she did."

_:Oh. Then why you hurt:_

"No reason, you silly bird." But he looked over to the ceremony. Though he did not have Sseryk's keen sight, he was close enough to see the indistinct figures at the center of attention. Leafwind's pale green costume blended perfectly with Silversky's dark blue. He looked away, a sick feeling creeping in to his stomach.

_Why did she pick him over me? Why?_

oOoOo

That's it for now. Review?


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